Better the devil you know (Lamborghini Diablo)

Member Name: missbrowneyedgirl

Product:	Lamborghini Diablo
Date:	13/07/00 (631 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great looking, better to drive (apparently), a real supercar

Disadvantages: cost, insurance

I have a confession. I used to be a... A... a churner! There, I said it. What's that shouting? "Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Missbrowneyedgirl in churning scandal!"

Oh well, it was only to be expected, so here's the exclusive, so to speak. My churning lasted for all of about three days and around 20 opinions. It's a time that I'd like to forget as I quickly learned to become to the fantastic writer you know and love...;)

Unfortunately there is evidence. Still lying around in the depths of the Dooyoo database are some of my crazy churned ops. I have managed to hide a lot of them with lengthy updates but some of them aren't that easy to conceal. Opinions like a three paragraph one gushing about the Lamborghini Diablo!

What did I know about Lamborghini Diablo's? Diddly squat, nada, nowt and zilch. Actually that's not strictly true. I know what they look like, what colours they come in, that they are Italian and that Jay Kay from Jamiroquai has one. However, this really isn't enough to write an informative opinion on the car. A fact which shone through in the original op! So, on my post-Christmas clean up there was only one thing for it... Research!

I contemplated trying to blag a test drive, but I don't know anyone who owns a Diablo, and I don' think the garage would be very impressed with me after I arrived in my battered old Clio. In fact they may suspect that I had no intention (or at least no means) to buy one of the beauties. No, my research was going to have to be conducted from my desk (obviously, during lunch breaks only!).

Now the Diablo is certainly a supercar. It started its life in 1991 and still looks as good to day as it did then, that is if you like that 80's supercar feel. The most outstanding physical feature must be the doors. Doors that don't open but lift and pivot, making the car resemble a huge winged creature in mid-flight when they are both
open. They have that 'latest technology' look about them - you know that look that spaceships have...;)

At this point I feel it is necessary to point out something that a lot of you techies may have already realised. You se this op is not a car expert one, nor a plethora of technical titbits. No this is moist certainly and everyday people opinion, a 'girlie' one if you like. We're going to talk about looks, cost, colours and maybe throw a bit of not-overly-technical information around. Ok? Good, I'm glad we understand each other.

So, back to the car. Well the Diablo comes in various models and if I sound a little vague here that's because I am! I have found evidence of the SV, the GT and the VT, but nothing to explain the difference! They are all 2 door coupes so that can't be it. Apparently the SV can do 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Impressive but relatively useless as far as passing on information goes!

Parkers price guide somewhat enlightened me with their interesting GT and VT comparison table (http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/technical/speci fication.asp?model=100104). From this I managed to glean that the VT has a slightly higher carbon dioxide emission and a 140 litre luggage capacity. Also the Estimated vehicle range is 196 miles (on a full tank). Useful stuff eh?

Let's talk about colours. The Diablo comes in five hues, although not all of them are available for all the models. Anyway, they are White (incredible), red (a little tacky, even on a Diablo!), yellow, orange & mauve (my favourite).
The white one is really something although I can just imagine how difficult it would be to keep looking that good, particularly being that close to the ground! Anyway, you can have a look at someone's pristine version here: http://www.fantasycars.com/Lamborghini_Diablo/Lamb orghini_Diablo_Photos/Lamborghin i_Diablo_Photo_1/lamborghini_diablo_photo_1.html

Before we bring this rambling to
an end, I thought it might be nice to talk about famous Diablo's. Unfortunately I could only think of one which of course is that mauve beauty belonging to Jay Kay of Jamiroquai, as seen in his Cosmic Girl video, and jolly tasty he looked in that too! Also there were some very gratuitous shots of the bucket seats and car interior in there too. I'd highly recommend a quick viewing!

If you know of any more answers in the comments box please. The winner gets a ride in my Diablo, right as soon as I get it (there could be some wait for this prize!).

Now it's crunch time... How much does this thing cost? Well, we have two choices, brand new or second hand? Ah, this is only a dream after all so let's start with brand new! Well a GT Coupe (left hand drive) will set you back a mere £195,680. A little pricey you say? Well we could go for the VT Coupe. A snip at only £152,680! Did I mention they come with a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty?

Having said that these devils have been around for 10 years so there must be a better deal on a used model. I had a brief squint around the web and found a 1999 SV for just £105,000. Right hand drive too although it was yellow and I'd have preferred a mauve or orange one!

The availability is seemingly poor, although considering the price of them, it's hardly surprising there are few around. It's not like Dixon's has a full compliment of Diablo colours on their forecourt is it? A lot of the ones I found for sale on the internet were in Italy and Cyprus and there seemed to be very few old ones around. I guess that if you were serious about wanting one then specialist contacts would be the way forward.

Finally did I mention that the Diablo is insurance group 20? Not surprising, really! I tried my best to get a motor insurance quote for it but I either crashed websites or got laughed out of the call centre. I guess I'll just have to stick to dreaming! In fact eve
n I'll dream of the devil even more so since I have learnt a lot about it. I only hope that this opinion can finally be of some use to some of you!

If you fancy joining me, here's a few sites to whet your appetite:
http://www.lamborghini.com/ - the official and brilliant hi-tech site
http://www.carsfromitaly.com/lambo/index.html - good history information and links
http://www.4car.co.uk/jsp/main.jsp?lnk=231_2&r eviewid=190&adkeyword=lamborghin i - excellent road test review

Thanks to:
http://www.parkers.co.uk - for the pricing information on the new models
Direct Line - for fixing their website and laughing at me
And last but not least, my good friend Jay Kay for all your help on this! (OK this last bit might be a lie but once a churner and still cheeky!)

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